The Sea Wolf (1926 film)

The Sea Wolf
Poster
Directed by	Ralph Ince
Written by	J. Grubb Alexander
Based on	The Sea-Wolf 1904 novel by Jack London
Produced by	John C. Flinn
Starring	Ralph Ince Claire Adams Theodore Von Eltz
Cinematography	J.O. Taylor
Music by	Sebastián Piana
Production company	Ralph W. Ince Corporation
Distributed by	Producers Distributing Corporation
Release date	September 10, 1926 (1926-09-10)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Sea Wolf ad in Motion Picture News, 1926

The Sea Wolf is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by and starring Ralph Ince. ^[1] It is based on the 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf by Jack London. ^{[2] [3]} The London novel was previously filmed in 1920 at Paramount Pictures as The Sea Wolf .

Plot summary

While both on a ferry from San Fransisco to Oakland, critic Humphrey Van Weyden and novelist Maud Brewster are both forced overboard when the ferry collides with another sailing vessel. ^[4] Both "Hump" and Maud are marooned and later rescued by "Ghost", a two-masted sailing vessel, captained by "Wolf" Larsen and his crew. ^[5] Following the storyline of London's novel closely, though both Van Weyden and Brewster wish to return to the mainland, the genius but tyrannical captain refused their request and instead forces them to work aboard the sailing vessel as members of the crew. ^[6] Chaos overtakes the ship in the third act of the film due to the captain's oppressive leadership and poor treatment of the crew, leading to mutiny and a way out for both Humphrey and Maud.

Cast

• Ralph Ince as 'Wolf' Larsen
• Claire Adams as Maud Brewster
• Theodore von Eltz as Humphrey Van Weyden
• Snitz Edwards as Thomas Mugridge
• Mitchell Lewis as Johansen, the Mate

Preservation

With no prints of The Sea Wolf located in any film archives, ^[7] it is a lost film.

References

1. Quinlan p. 152
2. The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Sea Wolf
3. Progressive Silent Film List: The Sea Wolf at silentera.com
4. The Sea Wolf (1926) - Plot - IMDb . Retrieved November 13, 2025– via www.imdb.com.
5. The Sea Wolf (1926) . Retrieved November 13, 2025– via letterboxd.com.
6. "LitCharts". LitCharts. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
7. The Library of Congress/FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Sea Wolf(Wayback Machine)

Bibliography

• Quinlan, David. The Illustrated Guide to Film Directors. Batsford, 1983.

External links

• The Sea Wolf at IMDb
• The Sea Wolf at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films